More than 46.1 out there?Northlight has received a couple of reports about larger megapixel EOS cameras out in the wild. The first one from the USA and sporting a 39mp sensor, and a second report from Asia about a camera well over 50mp. Both test cameras are in EOS-1 style bodies.

It’s stressed that neither camera is a production model and are strictly for testing.

I have no doubt the big megapixel DSLRs are in the pipeline, but so far things are pointing to the professional market instead of the consumer market.

Make these easily accessible while shooting by using a sliding switch around the shutter release like on the SX-series of hyperzooms and make them show in the viewfinder by use of a transmissive-LCD like on the 7D and you've got a great camera for consumers/enthusiasts.

By the way, I'm very unhappy they're 1D-style bodies, as I'd never own a body like that. I have very rare need for a portrait grip and don't want to carry one around all day when I don't need it. Further, the 1D bodies are too large for my hands. My 5D fits my hand like it was made for it.

I'd be more interested in the 39MP camera as opposed to the 50+ one. A 50+ MP photo would surely kill my 4 year old computer.

No problem there - people spending $9k on a camera are likely to be able to afford a fast computer and enough storage space, too. And besides that, the eos cameras usually have a m-raw and s-raw mode, so s-raw from a 50mp cam might be 22mp just like on the 5d3 :-)

As I believe such hi mpx is for hi end use and pretty useless for general photographers.

But that's loop logic - just because amateurs don't use high mp now (because it's impossible) doesn't mean they won't use the added possibilities. Besides you could say or could have said the same about 12, 18 or 22mp.

Sure there is an absolute measure "print size", but mp is about cropping, too *esp.* in the hands of amateurs. And many amateurs do close-up or macro shots, too, so unless the sensor outresolves the Canon L zooms or macro lenses this is a common application.

I'm very unhappy they're 1D-style bodies, as I'd never own a body like that. I have very rare need for a portrait grip and don't want to carry one around all day when I don't need it. Further, the 1D bodies are too large for my hands. My 5D fits my hand like it was made for it.

I wouldn't worry too much about that. Canon will have to release an "equivalent" to D800 at consumer prices (~$3600 to $4000?) in the short term, purely based on marketing needs. And they will.

Agreed, Canon will try their best to "differentiate" these bodies... which means they will heavily cripple the high MP so there is still a market space for 5D-III. Some of it will be beyond their intervention like fps on such a high MP body. But expect a bigger bro to 5D III soon at a slightly higher price point.

Canon is only waiting for a "respectable" amount of time after the 5D-III release so the early 5D-III adoptors who paid full price $$$$$ don't jump off a cliff (if they hadn't already tried that after the Adorma or B&H "deals"...wink wink nod nod from Canon).

This is similar to a greiving wife waiting a respectable amount of time before remarrying after her "dear" hubby dies.

Canon will match D800 at a comparable "Canon" price soon (this is usually about ~$500 to $1000 more ?).

A 50mp+ camera, especially if it does have improved DR and a 16bit ADC, sounds like a landscape and studio powerhouse! I'd never use such a camera for action photography, so I'd never need to import and wade through thousands of photos per shoot. I'd probably be able to use a single memory card for landscape outings. I already have a beefy computer, with SSD boot and data drives, so I'd not be too worried about PP editing performance. I hope they release something like that! It's what I've been waiting for as my next landscape camera.

A 50mp+ camera, especially if it does have improved DR and a 16bit ADC, sounds like a landscape and studio powerhouse! I'd never use such a camera for action photography, so I'd never need to import and wade through thousands of photos per shoot. I'd probably be able to use a single memory card for landscape outings. I already have a beefy computer, with SSD boot and data drives, so I'd not be too worried about PP editing performance. I hope they release something like that! It's what I've been waiting for as my next landscape camera.

The next target in all likelyhood would be the ~36MP range in a mid-level body to close the gap with Nikon's D800. Even if Canon can do the 50MP tmorrow, they will hold off and release incremental bodies to fleece the customers. This is not a critisism, it is just the way profitable companies work. My only complaint is I dont' get a cut .

Right now, there is no direct challange for Canon 35mm format at the 50MP level. But at 36MP there is! And at a cheaper price point. This is not sustainable in the long run. Canon will have to come up with a fair match.

On a more practical level, 50MP will have to be pricey, and someone willing to shell that kinda money will surelyl be looking at the bigboys in the Medium Format (MF). I dont' think Canon has any intention of wading into that pool anytime soon. But I do want to wish that your dreams eventually come true. I like the idea

I'd be more interested in the 39MP camera as opposed to the 50+ one. A 50+ MP photo would surely kill my 4 year old computer.

No problem there - people spending $9k on a camera are likely to be able to afford a fast computer and enough storage space, too. And besides that, the eos cameras usually have a m-raw and s-raw mode, so s-raw from a 50mp cam might be 22mp just like on the 5d3 :-)

As I believe such hi mpx is for hi end use and pretty useless for general photographers.

But that's loop logic - just because amateurs don't use high mp now (because it's impossible) doesn't mean they won't use the added possibilities. Besides you could say or could have said the same about 12, 18 or 22mp.

Sure there is an absolute measure "print size", but mp is about cropping, too *esp.* in the hands of amateurs. And many amateurs do close-up or macro shots, too, so unless the sensor outresolves the Canon L zooms or macro lenses this is a common application.

I understand and see your cropping point. Pls explain term "loop logic", it sounds cool!

<p>I have no doubt the big megapixel DSLRs are in the pipeline, but so far things are pointing to the professional market instead of the consumer market.</p><p><strong>Source: [<a href=\"http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/cameras/Canon_1D_Xs.html\" target=\"_blank\">NL</a>]</strong></p><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">c</span>r</strong></p>[/html][/quote]

Of course, what would a consumer, or prosumer for that matter need 24+MP for? let alone 30 or 50? Prosumer camera MPs have gone down over the past few years, not up (G series, etc)...as have several pro bodies obviously other than 1Dx. It would be really interesting to see Canon introduce a professional studio camera though it would be difficult to unseat MF in that space, no? Are we looking at more of a 1Ds replacement/upgrade?

My question, as I'm not an optics expert, is once you get into that realm of 30+ (if not before), how many current EF lenses are going to be able to leverage that sensor fully?

Make these easily accessible while shooting by using a sliding switch around the shutter release like on the SX-series of hyperzooms and make them show in the viewfinder by use of a transmissive-LCD like on the 7D and you've got a great camera for consumers/enthusiasts.

By the way, I'm very unhappy they're 1D-style bodies, as I'd never own a body like that. I have very rare need for a portrait grip and don't want to carry one around all day when I don't need it. Further, the 1D bodies are too large for my hands. My 5D fits my hand like it was made for it.

No problem there - people spending $9k on a camera are likely to be able to afford a fast computer and enough storage space, too. And besides that, the eos cameras usually have a m-raw and s-raw mode, so s-raw from a 50mp cam might be 22mp just like on the 5d3 :-)

Hehehe! I was wondering if anyone was going to comment on my statement. Yeah, my computer is nearing the end of its life for today's heavy graphics work. Its an overclocked quad core (3.0GHz) and I added a SSD earlier this year to boost performance. I'd surely build another one around the time I get a high MP camera. You do have a good point about the different modes. I never cared to use the smaller RAW formats since I'm currently capped at 10MP (40D).

Yeah, my computer is nearing the end of its life for today's heavy graphics work.

It's just a matter of time (of which you won't have any if you're a pro), but for the rest of us a slower computer is still ok - when rendering focus stacks I'll queue them and let it render overnight on my dual-core 2ghz laptop :->

:-> I looked up the real English term, it's "circular logic" - that's when the premise of a thesis is also the result.

An example is your thesis "amateurs don't need high mp cameras" - it cannot be disproven since there aren't any amateur high mp cameras (well, until the d800 that is, and that seems to sell), and the result of such a thesis (if adopted by Canon) is that there won't be any, apparently proving the thesis.